Dumping-trough-cover-operating mechanism



W. H. JOHNSTON.

DUMPING TROUGH COVER OPERATING MECHANISM. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 15, 1920.

1,398,863, Patented Nov. 29, 1921.

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W. H. JOHNSTON. DUMPING THOUGH covm OPERATING MECHANISM.

APPLICATI ON FILED SEPT. 15, 1920.

PatentedNov. 29, 1921.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

W'fwesses W. H. JOHNSTON. DUMPING TROUGH COVER OPERATING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 15, 1920.

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WILLIAM rr. JOHNSTON, or LORAIN, OHIO, nssrenon T0 narrower. TUBE oorrrrAnY,

OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA,

A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

DUMPING-TROUGH-COVEEOPERATING MECHANISM.

messes.

Specificaticnof Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. as, 1921.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM sToN, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Lorain, in the county of Lorain and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Dumping ilrough Cover Operating Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates v to pipe cooling tables, and more particularly to automatic lifts for the trough covers thereof, and has for one of its objects the 'provision of such a device that will be automatic in operation, yet simple in construction and composed of few parts.

Heretofore, it has beencustomary to opcrate the trough covers of cooling tables by means of a fluid pressure cylinder which was controlled by a manually operated valve, while the present. invention provides an automatically controlled valve which facilitates the operation of the trough cover, avoids the necessity of having a skilled workman for manually operating the trough cover, and increasing the output of 'tlie'pipe mill. I

Various other objects and advantages will be brought out in the following specifics-- tionandclaiins, and illustrated in the am companying drawings, in which- V Figure 1 is a plan of a portion of a cool 111g table showing the trough cover, cross automatic control rolls, and my improved for the cover lift; I

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the appara tus of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation on the line IIl-l1l of Fig.2.

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional elevation through the slide valve on the line IV -1V Fig. 5 is an enlarged plan view of the con-. veying trough and automatic Valve operating mechanism at the right'handside of sprockets 4 by which the pipes are conveyed transversely across the width of the cooling table. This cooling table may be of any well known and approved construction. The cooling table construction,

not forming part of this invention, is not shown and will. not be described in detail.

The trough 2 is provided with a lifting cover 7 which is connected to one, (the high) edge of the trough by hinges 8. Midway between the ends of the cover is an operating or lifting arm 9 which is connected by a link 10 and links 11 to the piston rod of the air or other fluid pressure cylinder 12, by which the lifting trough cover is raised and lowered. The body '13 of a three-way slide valve is mounted on a supporting bracket 15 secured to the conveying trough 16 at the entrance side of the cross rolls 5. This valve 13 is operai ly connected by the valve stem 141 and link 141 to a lever 17 keyed to the shaft 18, which is journaled in bracket bearings 19 on the trough 16 between the bracket 15 and the cross rolls. 1

A counterweighted lever 21,. which is keyed on the shaft 18, normally tends,

through the lever 17, to hold the slide valve in open position.

A vertically ad ustable trigger or lever on the shaft 18 extends downwardly lengthwise, with its free or swinging end normally in the path of the pipe traveling to thecross rolls. A pipe being conveyed along the trough will strike and lift the swinging trigger 22, and throughthe rock shaft 18 and lever 1.7,will close the valve 13.

The three-way valve 13 may be of any known construction, the valve shown having a. body 18, cover 13, andslide valve 1 1 The valve body 18 has an inlet 24-, outlet 25 leading to one eiid'of the cylinder 12, and an exhaust port 26. The inlet, 24 is connected to a suitable air or fluid pressure supply main 2?, and the outlet is connected-to the air cylinder 12 by the pipe 28.

The pipes passing lengthwise along the. trough 16 travel at considerable speed and strike the trigger 22 with some fO1'C8,'Wl1lCll in some cases may be sufficient to rock the. shaft 18 to a greater extent than is necessary -Or desirable, and with enough force to dam-,

age the valve 13 or its associated parts, and to avoid such possibility a pair of adpistable set-screws 30, 31 are provided on the bracket 20 so as to engage the lever 17 on the shaft 18, and limit the travel of the trigger and shaft 18.

The apparatus being assembled, the counterweighted lever 21 normally holds the valve 20 in its rearward or open position so as to allow air under pressure to flow from the supply main 27 through pipe 28 to the air cylinder 12, thus forcing down the piston and piston rod 11 and raising the dumping trough cover. The forward end of the pipes in traveling lengthwise on the trough 16 will strike the trigger 22, and through the rock shaft 18 and lever 17 will move the valve 20 to its forward position and allow the air in cylinder 12 to exhaust, thereby permitting the trough cover 7 to fall by gravity into closed position.

When the rear end of a pipe passes from under the trigger 22, the counterweighted le-.

ver 21 will rock the shaft 18 and cause the valve 20 to move into its open position so as to admit air to the cylinder 12, and thereby cause its piston to lift the trough covers-7 to permit the pipe, now in the tunnel formed by the trough cover, to roll sidewise by gravity from the trough to the receiving side of the cooling table. i I

The trough cover will then remain in its lifted position until the tripping lever or trigger 22 is again engaged by the forward end of a pipe passing to the cross rolls. As the air supply to the lifting cylinderrequires a short time in which to build up sufficient pressure to lift the dumping cover, the rear end of the pipes will be clear of, the cross rolls before the cover lifts The cylinder will be throttled so as to make the lifting operation slow enough. for the pipe to clear the rolls.-

This cycle of operations is repeated with each successive pipe, the trough cover being lowered as the pipe strikes the trigger 22, and raised as it passes from thereunder.

I claim 1. The combination with a pipe coolin table having a dumping trough and a hinge cover for said trough, of fluid actuated means operable by the pipes passing under said cover for automatically raising and lowering said cover. 1

2. The combination with a pipe cooling table having a dumping trough and a hinged cover for said trough, of a fluid actuated member for operating said cover, and means for automatically controlling the flow of fluid to said member.

3. The combination with a pipe cooling table having a dumping trough and a hinged cover for said trough, of a fluid actuated piston for operating said cover, and lever mechanism adapted to be automatically actuated by pipes passing under said cover to control the flow of fluid to said piston.

hinged cover, of a cover operating cylinder,

a valve for controlling the supply offluid to said piston, and a lever for actuating said valve, said lever being adapted to be automatically rocked by a pipe passing under said cover. a

5. The combination with a pipe cooling table having a dumping trough and a hinged cover for said trough, of a fluid pressure cyllnder for operating said cover, a valve for controlling the supply of fluid to said cylinder, a lever mechanism for actuating said valve, and a trigger extending into the path of pipes being delivered to said trough, said trigger being arranged to be engaged by said pipe and operate said lever mechanism.

6. The combination with a pipe cooling table' having a dumping trough, and a hinged cover for said trough, of a fluid pressure cylinder for operating said cover,'a valve mounted in front of the receiving end of said dumping trough for controlling the supply of fluid to said cylinder and means for actuating said valve, said means including a rocking shaft, a trigger on said shaft, said trigger extending into the path of travel of i cover for said trough, of a fluid pressure-cylinder for operating said cover, a valve mounted in front of the'receiving end of said dumping trough for controlling the supply of fluid to said cylinder and means for actuating said valve, said means including a roekingshaft, a. trigger on said shaft, said trigger extending into the path of travel of the incoming pipe into position to be struck by said pipe and rock said shaft, a valve opcrating lever on said shaft connected to said valve, and means for limiting the rocking motlon of said shaft.

8. The combination with a pipe cooling tab-1e having a dumping trough and a hinged cover for said trough, of a fluid pressure cylinder for operating said cover,a slide valve for controlling the flow of fluid pressure to said cylinder, a lever mechanism for actuat ing said valve, said mechanism including a rocking shaft, a trigger on said shaft extending into the path of travel of the incoming pipe into position to engage the forward end of said pipe and rock said shaft, and a lever secured to saidsliaft and operatively connected to said valve.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name.

WILLIAM H. JOHNSTON. 

